LAS VEGAS—What a difference 12 months can make. ASU spent a couple of days in July this year and last in Las Vegas for a media day event but did so for two different conferences. Nobody knew at the time that 2023 would be the Pac-12’s last-ever media conference or that a year later, they would be back in Sin City for their inaugural season as members of the Big 12.
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Leif Fautanu is very familiar with these surroundings. He played at UNLV for three years and redshirted his freshman year. Fautanu is returning as the reigning offensive MVP for the Devils, which is a huge confidence boost for the offense as a whole.
Last year, Fautanu played all 851 snaps for the Devils under center, finishing 29th nationally with a pass-blocking score of 78.7. He ranks third in the Big 12 as a center with an overall offensive score of 69.3 and is the 15th-highest-graded center in the country by PFF. He was also named the Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week after ASU’s win over Washington State, where ASU collectively ran for 235 yards and five touchdowns behind Fautanu and the offensive line.
Fautanu was effusive with high praise for his coaches and teammates. “Our coaches do a great job recruiting,” Fautanu said. “We definitely have more depth and competition this year, and when the season comes around, I’m confident that anyone we throw in there could compete with every other player out there.”
The Sun Devil offense has many returning players who will play key roles. Furthermore, Dillingham has a year under his belt as ASU’s head coach heading into this new conference. From the moment he was hired in November 2022, Dillingham preached the importance of not only acquiring talent but molding the group into the culture he has visualized for his team.
“The culture that we’re building now is a lot better compared to last year,” Fautanu commented. “The vision that Dillingham has wins games. It helps him and everyone involved, and hopefully, we can carry that into the conference.”
This ASU offense hasn’t necessarily lost a plethora of starters to the portal, which helps players like Fautanu further establish themselves as one of the leaders on the team, along with Skattebo. This duo is a significant element of Dillingham’s master plan as they embark on a new conference.
“I have an old coach at BYU, so I definitely have that game circled,” Fautanu mentioned. “I have a lot of old coaches and teammates scattered around the conference, and I’m excited to play against them and compete.”
One factor that ASU, as well as its former Pac-12 brethren, will have to adjust to is the increased travel in a league that literally spans from coast to coast. The furthest ASU had to venture during its Pac-12 days was to the state of Washington, some 1,300 miles away, but teams such as UCF and West Virginia drastically impact travel plans. While the Devils might not visit these teams every year for football, in the future, it could change up players’ routines.
“I think we just need the mindset that it doesn’t matter a whole lot,” Fautanu remarked. “Regardless of where we play or how long the flight is, as long as we get there safely, we can use that time to build bonds and chemistry needed to win games.”
Due to injury, redshirt junior defensive lineman Clayton Smith played in just nine games last year, yet made his presence known in every gameday rep he got, posting 21 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Smith has some familiarity with the Big 12, playing for Oklahoma (who is joining the SEC this season) in his freshman year for four games in 2022, and, therefore, has a high degree of familiarity with most of the teams in the Big 12.
“With the two powerhouse teams leaving (Texas joins Oklahoma in the SEC this year), I feel like the conference is a lot more competitive,” Smith explained. “Everybody is hungry for a championship and especially this year I feel like it’s up for grabs.”
While the offensive unit is more confident with Fautanu and Skattebo both back for their senior years, that also helps lift the pressure off the defense. A good number of defensive players who were not necessarily assuming a leadership role in 2023 will now be asked to carry out that vital task for the unit.
“I learned last year that preparation is everything,” Smith admitted. “The season is long, and I need to manage my body right so I can compete every game to my best ability. I also was able to focus on putting more detail into my game this summer.”
During the preseason, creating team chemistry is a necessity rather than a luxury and serves as an important ingredient for season success. While every new campaign introduces new faces, especially in a robust transfer portal era, it’s incumbent for the returning players to speed up the acclimation process to form a high degree of cohesiveness.
A perfect opportunity to build that camaraderie is the yearly August trip northward to the pines near Payson and cooler temperatures. Camp Tontozona is a period of time during fall camp that may carry a higher degree of importance to the team’s intangibles in comparison to the pure X’s and O’s. Fautanu and Smith were exposed to that experience last year and had some friendly advice to offer to the first-year Sun Devils.
“Bring toiletries,” Smith joked. “We all have the same mentality when we go up there, and that’s to compete. There’s no cell service, so all we have is each other, and we just try to make the most of it.”
The players at the Big 12 media day were hardly fazed by the preseason media poll that picked ASU to finish last in the 16-team conference. Finishing 3-9 and 2-7 in the Pac-12 in 2023 naturally elicited that collective point of view. The ASU center is not treating that prediction as the classic bulletin board material and is rather focused on the team’s approach for the 2024 season.
“I’m really excited to bring our offensive mindset to the Big 12,” Fautanu said. “Dillingham is amazing with the schemes he runs, and I think what he and the other coaches are trying to build on the offensive side is unique and something this conference has never seen before.”
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